Aircraft flight control



July 23, 1929. J. B. HERGET ET AL AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL Filed June 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVEN TORS Jo/m .6 lie/yet Albert I": Walla/z,

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y .J. B. HERGET ET AL 1,721,818

AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL Filed June l6, 1926. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V ea g INVE' TORs:

Johz 6. lie/yet Patented July 23, 1929.

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JOHN B. HERGET AND ALBERT F. WALLOCH, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL.

Application filed June 16,

This invention relates to flight controlling, devices for air craft and hydroplanes; and

. its object is to provide improved means which are actuated by movements of the pilots feet for regulating the rudder ailerons and 'eleg vators to direct and control the flight of a vehicle of the air in a more convenient, ex-

peditious, and reliable manner than hitherto. In flight controlling devices at present in use it is generally requisite that the operator employ both his hands and feet.

Such use of the hands for flight control purposes is dispensed with by our invention, leaving the hands at all times free for other uses such, for examples, as regulating the engines throttle, sparking appliances and shutters.

To this end, we provide flight controlling means including a rudder-bar which is arranged for oscillatory movements about horizontal and vertical axes and carrying foot ac-' tuated devices which are arranged and connected to the rudder, elevator and ailerons, in a manner to permit their being used either singly or collectively as may be deemed desirable for controlling the vehicle when in flight.

The invention further consists in the novel construction, adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying'drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of an aeroplane with an embodiment of the present invention applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section'of the same, including a wing member and the associated aileron not shown in Fig. 1. Fig.3 is arear elevational view of flight control devices exemplified in an embodiment of the invention now preferred bv-us, the several parts of the control being shown in their neutral positions; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view with parts in section. said section being taken. on theline 44 of Fig. 3 Fig; 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4, the pivot shaft for the rudderbar being shown in plan, and the rudder-bar in an adjusted position different from that in which it is illustrated in the preceding views; and. Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig.5.

In said drawings, the reference numeral 10- 1926. Serial No. 116,398.

All of the above described parts are or may be of any known or suitable construction and arrangement. I

According to the present inventiomwe secure to the aeroplanes body structure and 'within the cockpit 16 thereof (a standard 17 having a horizontal journal-bearing 18 for a pivot shaft 19 which is disposed longitudinally of the body; This pivot shaft is provided with a bifurcated rear end which protrudes from the standard, as shown; the bifurcations '20 being spaced apart to receivetherebetween the central portion 21 of a transversely ar-' ranged bar member, the end portions 22 of which are cylindrical.

Said'bar member or rudder bar as it will be hereinafter designated, is fulcrumed cen trally of its length to said pivot shaft by means of a tubular pivot 23 fitting in axially aligned holes provided in the'central portion 21 of the rudder bar and in the bifurcations 20 of the pivot shaft. The axis of the pivot 28 is disposed at right anglesv to the axis of the cylindrical portion 19 of the shaft. or nearly so.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the pivot 23 taken with the pivot shaft connection constitute a universal oint connection for the rudder-bar with respect to the supporting standard 17 Botatively mounted upon the cylindrical 4 end portions 22 of the rudder-bar are sleeves at all times a comfortable rest for the feet of the pilot.

In proximity with the respectivefoot plates, the sleeves 24 are provided with circumferential flanges 27, or equivalent devices,

serving as end bearings for independently rotatable collars 28, one for each sleeve.

As shown, the collars 28 are provided with eye elements 29 whereby the collars are con.

The tail skid 15 is arranged to be operated from the rudder-operating cables 20 through the medium of branch cables, such as 30 (Fig. 2) connected to the tail skid yoke in a knownmanner.

Rigid with and depending from the pivot shaft 19 is an arm 31 having secured thereto the ends of cables 32 and 32 which are led laterally to guide pulleys 33 and 33 and thence upwardly to make suitable connections with the aileron operating arms 12 for regulating the angularity of the ailerons with respect to the wing 11 when the arm 31 is caused by foot actuated movements of the rudder bar to be swungpendulum-like toward one side or the other.

It is to. be-noted that such swinging move-, ments of the aileron controlling arm 31 is effected through, the medium of the pivot shaft 19 when influenced by the rudder bar being; oscillated in a plane at substantially right angles to the plane of its movement for governing the rudder.

Secured to said rudder bar between the sleeves 24 are upwardly directed complementarynbracket arms 34 serving to supporta pin 35. upon which are mounted, for individual'rotary movements, two-sheaves-36 and 36 for -cables-37 and 37 respectively; theextremities, as 37 2 (Fig. 4) for instance, of the cablesbeing secured to therespective sheaves; Thecables-37, 37 extend from their operating' sheaves 36,136 through-the aperture of the tubular pivot 23 to guide pulleys :38,- 38 whichdirect the cablesto arms 14 ofthe elevator 14, for adjustingthe-Same; The.

revolved asa; unit about the axis of the pivot shaft when the rudder-bar 2122 ismovcd in a-substantially vertical plane. As shown, one or the other of the operating sheaves 36, 36

is adapted to be rotated selectively uponthe pin 35 by means of the associatedfoot plates 25.rotating the respective sleeves 24 and the arms 41, which are rigid with the sleeves.

Each. arm 41 is provided withva slot, such as.-42*(Fig.-4), to receive: a crank pin. as

43, provided on the respective sheaves whereby a rotary movement of either of the sleeves, (as effected by a foot plate) will impart rotary movement to a sheave 36 or 36 for actuating the cable 37 or 37 to set the elevator.

The operation of our improved flight control is extremely simple: The rudder-bar 2122 being oscillated in a substantially horizontal plane about its pivot 23 forregulatingthe rudder 13, and in a substantially vertical plane about the axis of the pivot shaft 19 for regulatingthe aileron-s but for regulating the elevator the sleeves 24 are rotated upon the respective arms of the rudder bar.

All of the operations of our improved flight control are performed by means of the pilots foot and leg movements, (applied either separately or in combination, through the medium of the foot plates 25.

The regulating of any one of the flight controlling devices above namedrudder, elevator orailerons-may be done independently of'the others or they may be operatedin pairs, or all together, as may be required or: deemed desirable either for steering balancing or stabilizing the aeroplane.

The manner of using our improved control and its advantages will, it is thought, be'understood from the foregoing description.

While we have described specifically an embodiment of the invention now preferred by us, we do not wish to be understood as confining ourselves thereto except as limited by the scope of the following claims.

What we claim, is,-

1. In an aeroplane having an aileron and an elevator, a rudder-bar arranged for movement upon a fulcrum having its axis longitudinal of the aeroplane, an arm depending from said fulcrum, sleeves rotatably' mounted upon the arms of the rudder-bar, cable connections between said arms and the aileron for regl ilating the latter when the rudder-bar is moved about said fulcrum axis, sheaves carried by said rudder-bar, cable connections between said sheaves and the elevator. sheave operating means carried by said sleeves, and foot plates rigid with the re.-, soective sleeves for effecting the rotation of the same to impart rotary movement to the sheaves for regulating the elevator. saidfoot plates also serving to effect oscillatory movement to the rudder-bar and the fulcrum arm forregulating the aileron.

2. In an aeroplane having an aileron and an elevator, a flight control therefor, said con-. trol having a rudder-bar fulcrumed atlits midlength for movement in a substantially vertical plane, an arm extending below said rudder-bar. arms extending above the rudder-bar. all of said arms being movable as a unit with the rudder bar, sheaves carried by the upper of said arms. guide pulleys car-. ried by the lower arm, cables connected to the respective sheaves and passing about the guide pulleys to said elevator, foot controlled ron for adjustably moving the same responmeans rotatable upon the rudder bar at opsive to the foot impelled movement of the rud- 10 posite sides of its fulcrum for actuating said der-bar.

sheaves to operatively move the elevator, said Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 17th 5 foot controlled means also serving to impart day of May,1926.

oscillatory movement to the rudder-bar and the first named arm, and operative connection JOHN B. HERGET.

between the last referred to arm and the aile- ALBERT F. WALLOCHi 

